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The Teachings of Don Jake

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The Teachings of Don Jake is the twelfth episode of Season 1 of Daria and the twelfth episode of the series overall. It originally aired on MTV on July 14, 1997.

Synopsis[]

The Morgendorffers go on a camping trip to relieve Jake's hypertension. Meanwhile, Jane and Trent attend the Lane family reunion.

Plot[]

A series of bills and news related to money make Jake snap and cause a blood vessel to burst in his eye. Because of this, Helen Morgendorffer decides that the whole family is going camping to relax. Daria and Quinn try unsuccessfully to sneak out of going.

The Morgendorffers go camping in a forest, a place known of Helen and Jake, who reminiscence of their past trip. Jake is noticeably happy and excited, though he also starts to rave about his childhood and his deceased father, "Mad Dog" Morgendorffer.

At the same time, Jane and Trent are also leaving Lawndale for a few days. They are attending the Lane Family Reunion, a gathering that Jane detests but is forced to go to by her parents, who avoid the other Lane family members.

Jane and Trent attend the Lane reunion, but things quickly go downhill. In the plane, Trent unknowingly insults their aunt Bernice Lane, who happened to be sitting next to them. There is no means of transportation to the house, so they have to get there on foot. At the reunion, Jane is forced to tell some embarrassing news about her sister Summer and her children to a curious relative, and is loudly insulted by an elderly grandmother. Trent meets his uncle Max Lane, who loudly and drunkenly proclaims his liking of Trent because he is a bum, like himself.

Meanwhile, at the Morgendorffers campsite, at night, the four entertain themselves by telling spooky stories, though the impact is somewhat off. Jake only tells stories about his childhood camping with his father, which leaves everyone bored. Helen tries to tell a vampire story, but Jake shushes her from saying the more intimate details, leaving Daria and Quinn unsatisfied. Quinn tells a fairy tale mixed with fashion commentaries that isn't scary to anyone except her. Daria is able to shake the general boredom as she tells the story of Hansel and Gretel filled with explicitly gory details that cause the rest of the family to get sick. Later, in the tent, the two Morgendorffer sisters reminisce about the past.

The next morning the four set out for a hike. While walking, Helen and Jake start rambling about life and adulthood and then start to hallucinate. Daria and Quinn try to make sense of the situation calmly and objectively before Quinn also starts hallucinating and wanders off. Daria quickly concludes that the three were under the psychotropic effects of the berries Jake had gathered for breakfast, which Daria alone had not eaten (also referred to by Quinn as the "Glitter Berries"). She eventually finds Helen's cell phone (which she wasn't supposed to have taken) and dials 911, after which the family are rescued by a medical helicopter.

Back in Lawndale the next day, Daria and Jane trade stories: Daria tells of her camping weekend and Jane about her trip. It ended when she and Trent, after a restless night and having to get at 7 AM in a Saturday, had decided to just leave in Aunt Bernice's car.

The Morgendorffer camping trip ends up by not having a calming long term effect. When receiving a large bill of $15,000 for their helicopter evacuation, Jake snaps again and bursts out blood vessels, this time in both his eyes.

Characters[]

Trivia[]

General[]

  • The title of this episode was derived from the New Age (fiction) story, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, by Carlos Castaneda. In this book, a man is taught by a Native American shaman to see reality in a different way. The consumption of hallucination-inducing mushrooms is involved, hence the connection with the episode.
  • Quinn's tutoring at $50 per hour in 1997 (the year this episode aired) is equivalent to $85.45 per hour in 2021.
  • Jake has apparently burst a blood vessel in his eyes multiple times before the events of this episode.
  • First mention of Helen's boss Eric Schrecter, and the fact that Helen is a workaholic.
  • Jane mentions that her family is the 'black sheep' of the extended Lane Family, the reason for it is never specified. However, none of Jane's relatives appear to be artists or hippie-esque which may explain it.
  • When Trent is woken up by Jane, he instinctively says 'Officer it's not even my car'. This implies that he has been caught sleeping in his car by the police multiple times.
  • This episode is the first time the series mentions and shows the fact that Jake and Helen were hippies in their youth.
  • The Lane family reunion happens in a place called Sloatstown.
  • First mention of Jake's father "Mad Dog" Morgendorffer and his torment of Jake as a child.
  • First mention of Penny, Wind, and Summer Lane.
  • This is the second episode without any Backrounders.

Errors[]

Transcript[]

The Teachings of Don Jake Transcript

Episode Guide[]

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